Friday, June 5, 2009

Homemade Hummus and Pita Bread

I have recently begun a new love affair.....with Hummus! One of our favorite new casual spots to eat in town features their homemade hummus and freshly baked, warm pita bread on their appetizer menu. So recently, I began my quest to try and replicate both.

Of all the recipes for hummus that I have tried recently, my favorite includes roasting the garlic cloves for a rich, mellow flavor.

When using olive oil to garnish your hummus, buy the best extra virgin olive oil you can afford!

When I first started making hummus, I was buying pita bread at the store. Tired of paying almost a dollar apiece for pita rounds, I quickly tried to research recipes for pita bread too!

Since I am a big fan of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes, I decided to try making pitas with the 'Master Recipe' or boule. I had a batch already made in my refrigerator ( which I almost always have) so I was ready to rock and roll!

Having researched homemade pita on the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes website , I read through all the comments and came across one that mentioned making the pitas in a covered, non-stick pan rather than in the oven. It worked like a charm for me!

I was able to make beautifully puffed pitas in no time at all! I cooked them in the pre-heated pan (over medium heat) with a cover, for about 2-3 minutes per side. The cover on the pan traps the steam to help them puff up. Another tip, wipe out the pan after making each pita, as the flour tends to burn.

Through trial and error, I found that if I rolled out the rounds of dough too thinly, they didn't poof up quite as well and I didn't get a nice 'pocket'. The pitas taste best the same day but are easily frozen for future use.

I hope you give homemade hummus and pitas a try!

The Master Recipe: Boule (Artisan Free-Form Loaf)

Note: You can make the Pita bread any time after mixing the batch of dough (recipe may be halved).

Warm the water slightly: It should feel just a little warmer than
body temperature, about 100 degrees F.

Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in
a resealable, lidded (not airtight) plastic food container or
food-grade bucket. Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.

Mix in the flour–kneading is unnecessary: Add all of the flour at
once, measuring it in with dry-ingredient measuring cups, by gently
scooping up flour, then sweeping the top level with a knife or spatula;
don’t press down into the flour as you scoop or you’ll throw off the
measurement by compressing. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity
food processor (14 cups or larger) fitted with the dough attachment, or a
heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the dough hook until the mixture is
uniform. If you’re hand-mixing and it becomes too difficult to
incorporate all the flour with the spoon, you can reach into your mixing
vessel with very wet hands and press the mixture together. Don’t knead.
It isn’t necessary. You’re finished when everything is uniformly moist,
without dry patches. This step is done in a matter of minutes, and will
yield a dough that is wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of
its container.

Allow to rise: Cover with a lid (not airtight) that fits well to the
container you’re using. Do not use screw-topped bottles or Mason jars,
which could explode from the trapped gases. Lidded plastic buckets
designed for dough storage are readily available. Allow the mixture to
rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least
flattens on the top), approximately 2 hours, depending on the room’s
temperature and the initial water temperature. Longer rising times, up
to about 5 hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the
dough any time after this period. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less
sticky and is easier to work with than dough at room temperature. So,
the first time you try our method, it’s best to refrigerate the dough
overnight (or at least 3 hours), before shaping a loaf.

On Baking Day: The gluten cloak: don’t knead, just
“cloak” and shape a loaf in 30 to 60 seconds. First, prepare a pizza
peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal (or whatever your recipe
calls for) to prevent your loaf from sticking to it when you slide it
into the oven. Sprinkle the surface of your refrigerated dough with
flour. Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough,
using a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a
little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently
stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides,
rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Most of the dusting flour
will fall off; it’s not intended to be incorporated into the dough. The
bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it
will flatten out and adhere during resting and baking. The correctly
shaped final product will be smooth and cohesive. The entire process
should take no more than 30 to 60 seconds.

Rest the loaf and let it rise on a pizza peel: Place the shaped ball
on the cornmeal-covered pizza peel. Allow the loaf to rest on the peel
for about 40 minutes (it doesn’t need to be covered during the rest
period). Depending on the age of the dough, you may not see much rise
during this period; more rising will occur during baking (“oven
spring”).

Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450°F, with a
baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for
holding water on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising
bread.Dust and slash: Unless otherwise indicated in a specific recipe,
dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the
slashing knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1/4-inch-deep cross,
“scallop,” or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top, using a serrated bread
knife

Baking with steam: After a 20-minute preheat, you’re ready to bake,
even though your oven thermometer won’t yet be up to full temperature.
With a quick forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the
pizza peel and onto the preheated baking stone. Quickly but carefully
pour about 1 cup of hot water from the tap into the broiler tray and
close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or
until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch. Because you’ve
used wet dough, there is little risk of drying out the interior, despite
the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly
crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air.
Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire cooling rack, for best
flavor, texture, and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften,
but will firm up again when cooled.

Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator in your lidded (not
airtight) container and use it over the next 14 days: You’ll find that
even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread.
This maturation continues over the 14-day storage period. Refrigerate
unused dough in a lidded storage container (again, not airtight). If you
mixed your dough in this container, you’ve avoided some cleanup. Cut
off and shape more loaves as you need them. We often have several types
of dough storing in the refrigerator at once. The dough can also be
frozen in 1 pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted
overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is my recipe for hummus. I have adapted this recipe from many different recipes and it's my favorite combination of flavors. Don't be put off by the high price of a jar of tahini at the store. It lasts forever in the refrigerator.

Soak dry chickpeas overnight in a bowl filled with enough water to cover by at least an inch above peas. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. The next day, drain the chickpeas and place in saucepan with enough fresh water to cover. Cook according to package directions until soft. Reserved some of the cooking liquid then drain. Discard any pea shells that have come off. I like to rub the cooled chickpeas between my hands to remove as many shells as I can.

While chickpeas are cooking, rub whole garlic cloves with a little olive oil and roast in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Allow to cool, then remove skins.

I haven't had lunch yet and boy are you making me hungry! Wow, hummus is a favorite and I will try this method with roasting the garlic. You go beyond creative making your own pitas though...wow, they look fantastic. Loved the flashback too - my first peony opened last night ;)

I have to try those GORGEOUS Pitas!!! On the stove? I will rearead..I am at the office reading quickly..The blooms are beautiful too..I love Hummus Susan..And I bet the pitas kick it up a huge notch..have you tried Mary's naan too? I did a post that had it at the end..it's good too! Thanks as always for sharing great recipes and ideas..Tes photos sont belles aussi!

I am not eating carbs the past two weeks so your pita photo has me going a little nuts. I was in a middle east eatery outside of DC this past March and they were making them fresh. I honestly think I ate 5 or 6 and wanted to buy some to take back home. Hubby thought I was nuts at how I was so excited over Pita's. I would love to make my own but wonder how many I would eat when no one was counting? Thanks for sharing the recipe and if I dream of Pita bread tonight it is your fault:)Joyce

You're my hero in so many ways!! I just have to try the hummus and pita homemade. I am inspired especially since I can do this with the A in 5 dough. I need to reread carefully. I think I will try this weekend. The peonies are just lovely!!! I have several blooming now. Your garden flashback is perfect for the FF event..we need more flowers in the world!! :-) Thanks for joining me this week.

Suzy, said it right, my hero :) You really are inspiring, those pita's and the hummus, and the photo's of them, well, they are just fantastic. So this post is really a fantastic Foodie Friday. Lot's of F's for you - fantastic, fabulous, first-rate!

Homemade pita bread? That certainly looks like it is well worth the trouble, but as you've portrayed, that's not very much trouble at all is it. Thanks for two great recipes, one of which is a particularly nice surprise.

I am loving your blog!!! Your flowers are amazing...and I have never tried to make homemade pita...never even dawned on me..I buy them frequently, but find that they get mold very quickly :(...this is a keeper! Thanks again.

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